A Joyful Heart

by Diana McCollum 

 For the first time ever we can truly say 2020 is behind us! There is a vaccine coming to all of us very soon! With the vaccine, when most people are vaccinated, will come a shift towards life as we knew it before the pandemic. I don’t want to dwell on all the negativity that has been part of all our lives right through today. 

Instead, what are we going to do going forward? I have come to appreciate my friends and family so much more. I’m hoping my weekly zoom meetings with family and friends will continue. As I am always uplifted after seeing their faces and hearing their voices. I intend to keep up my daily walks and i always find something new to be thankful for. Sometimes a deer in a neighbor's yard or a bunch of tiny pinecones that fell from a tree. The blue sky and fluffy white clouds, so many things to be thankful for. and so many more things too many to name.

I want to learn new skills. My friend and are holding each other accountable for spending time on writer related things. The book I’m working on will be published in 2021, which is exciting. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopeful for a peaceful world. There is some joy in every day. If one can find even that small amount of joy it is uplifting. One thing I enjoy is cooking. I must say during the pandemic I’ve cooked new deserts more often than healthy meals. That is one thing I am changing.

I’d like to share a New Year’s recipe with you. It is from my recipe book “A Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook”, by Patricia Telesco.

As you go forward into the New Year I wish you the Magical attributes of this recipe which are: Strength, courage, vitality, and fire magic. 

Red Bean Rally (Cuba) 

 1lb red beans Pepper

 ½ lb cooked, cubed pork

 1 large onion chopped 

3 cloves garlic minced

 1 red pepper diced

 ½ tsp dried thyme

 2 tbls olive oil

 ½ tsp dried basil

 1 tomato chopped 

1 bay leaf

 4 ½ tsps. Vinegar Salt

 3 cups cooked rice 

Soak the beans for 12 hours and then drain. Combine the beans, pork, garlic, thyme, basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and 5-6 cups of water in a large pot. Simmer. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil. Add to the beans with tomato and vinegar. Simmer till the beans are done, 20-30 mins. Serve on a bed of rice with a hard boiled egg or lemon slices as garnish. Yield: 6 servings

Celebrations: Solar and fire festivals, Feast of Banners, Feast of Juniper Enjoy the recipe!!! 

"The bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges And every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." by Nancy B. Turner 

 What things are you doing for yourself in the New Year?

Bone Broth Soup: Easy, Healthy & Delicious...by Kristin Wallace

Eating healthy isn't always easy. (I don't succeed much of the time.) However, I did find a soup recipe that is really delicious and super healthy. It uses something called bone broth, and it's very easy to make. If you're trying to cleanse your system, lose some weight, or you're following the Keto diet, it's also good for that.

Easy Bone Broth Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken bone broth (you can make your own but I buy the boxed kind you can get in the soup aisle. I usually get Swanson brand)

Cauliflower rice (you can make your own using fresh cauliflower and a food processor or buy a frozen package)

Cup of diced carrots 

Can of peas (drained)

Can of Cannellini beans (drained)

1/2 cup of parsley

Teaspoon of thyme

Olive oil

Directions:

In a large pot, sautee the carrots and cauliflower rice with a little bit of olive oil. You can also add diced onion if you like it. Cook on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes or until the carrots get softer. 

Pour in the whole box of chicken bone broth

Add the peas, Cannellini beans, parsley & thyme. Stir and bring to a boil. 

Lower to a simmer. Cover the soup and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

You are DONE!

If you want more protein, you can add cooked chicken, either chunks or shredded. I use the prepared rotisserie chicken you can get from the deli section of the store. 

See...wasn't that easy? And it's so good! 

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of the three best selling series, Shellwater Key Tales, Palm Cove Tales, and Covington Falls Chronicles. 

Coping by Baking....by Kristin Wallace

What a difference a month makes. What a different world we live in now thanks to this awful pandemic that has impacted so many countries. Depending on where you live, you’ve probably been in “lockdown” mode for several weeks. Where I live in Miami it’s been over 3 weeks. Only going out for the store or for walks to get some air. I’ve been freelancing for the past several years so staying home for “work” isn’t new, but now there is so much uncertainty and fear.

In times of stress - and now in times when we can't go anywhere - many are cooking and baking as a release. I pulled out an old chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m also trying new things. We had some old bananas that were turning brown so I decided to try and make banana bread. Never made it before so I asked around. Then finally went with a classic Betty Crocker recipe, but with a couple of added ingredients from another recipe. 

My Banana Bread + Recipe

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup of sugar

½ cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 ½ cup mashed ripe bananas (3-4)

½ cup of buttermilk

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (added from another recipe)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (added from another recipe)

Chopped pecans (if you want)

Chocolate chips (if you want)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
 Mash bananas in a separate bowl
Mix flour, baking soda & salt in a bowl
 Mix butter and sugar in another bowl
Mix in eggs and blend well
Add in mashed bananas, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Slowly add flour mixture a little at a time.
Pour into pans

You can pour the batter into bread pans, but I decided to make muffins. I still had enough batter left over to make a small loaf of bread. I set the timer for 30 minutes, but the muffins baked fast. Took them out around 18-20 minutes. The bread took the full 30 minutes. 

Are you resorting to cooking and baking to cope? What have you tried? Please share!

I hope that you are staying inside and that you are healthy. Please stay safe!

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with "Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith". It's not too late to pick up her holiday box set featuring three Christmas romances (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so go ahead and scoop it up now. 

BUY NOW ON AMAZON

Chicken Soup For Your Taste Buds by Kristin Wallace

I must have food on the brain. Earlier this month we celebrated #NationalDoughnutDay. Coincidentally, a "artisan" doughnut shop opened within walking distance of my place. They make all these amazing flavors like chocolate mousse (pictured here), plus white chocolate, dulce de leche, cookies & cream, and key lime pie, among others. Is it a conspiracy to get me to eat more doughnuts? Maybe! 


However, I also want to show that I’m trying to eat healthier. For instance, I cooked homemade chicken noodle soup the other day. It’s not my recipe. In fact, I stole it from my parents…who got it off the back of the chicken bouillon jar. It is DELICIOUS and so EASY to make!

Here’s the recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Start with chicken bullion. I like the “Better Than Bullion” brand for this recipe. It’s not a powder or cube like some brands. It has more of a thick paste consistency so it’s creamier. 

Ingredients:

- 6 Tablespoons of chicken bouillon 

- Half of a rotisserie chicken diced into small pieces (Note: You can use whatever chicken you want, but it does need to be cooked. Rotisserie chicken is easy as you can buy it cooked at the store. You can use more than half of the chicken, it just depends on how much you like

- 8-10 cups (2 ½ quarts) of water

- A package of frozen vegetables (I use 2 small bags, 1-corn and 1-mixed as I like a lot of corn and most frozen varieties either don’t have corn or only a very little. Use whatever veggies you like though.

- Egg noodles (This recipe says to use 6 ounces but I say screw that! The noodles are the best part! Use as much as you want!)

Directions:

·       Dissolve the bouillon in the water in a large pot

·       Add the chicken (diced), frozen vegetables, and egg noodles

·       Bring to a full boil

·       Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the egg noodles are soft.

·      ENJOY!

Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, is available now.

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON     /     APPLE BOOKS     /      BARNES & NOBLE     /    KOBO

A Magical Time of the Year #amwriting #paranormal #romance

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and the supernatural with a romantic soul. And this is the month where the supernatural is more on my mind. As a teenager, I was a practising witch, and I still have a fondness for Wiccan holidays and creatures of folklore, especially those in British mythology. While Halloween isn't quite the same here in the UK as the US (I take All Hallow's Eve a little more seriously than some), it's one of our biggest holidays after Christmas and Easter. Plus the fact that autumn is my favourite season of the year - still warm, but without the scorching summer sun and nights too hot to sleep. The smell of bonfires and moldering leaves, the change in colours from brilliant green to shades of gold, red and brown. That nip in the air first thing in the morning, and sparkling dewdrops on spiderwebs. Even that seems magical.

So it's probably not surprising that the first holiday romance I ever wrote is centred around this season and Halloween itself. The idea came when I caught sight of an event started by Neil Gaiman called All Hallow's Read. When I originally started writing, my central character was a thirteen year old girl called Hallow. But 'she' quickly evolved into a thirty something warlock called Hal, set on performing a forbidden piece of magic on All Hallow's Eve, the night spirits of departed loved ones briefly come back to us.

Paranormal Romance Short
GOODREADS | Available at... 
Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Oyster
ARe | Smashwords

Blurb:

Twelve months ago, Hal's world crashed and burned, taking the love of his life with it. He's waited all year for that one special night when the souls of the departed come home, hoping his candle will summon back one in particular to heal his broken heart. But the forbidden knowledge he's learned could call something far worse, and put more than his own soul at risk...

A Paranormal Romance short story

~~~

But as well as sharing my book, I thought I'd share a recipe from it with you. In Hallow's Eve, Hal has a magical housekeeper - a brownie called Hodge - who's a master at making spice elderberry cordial (something I finally got around to making myself this year!). Something to warm you up along with my story. ;)

Hodge

Hodge's Spiced Elderberry Cordial

1.5 lbs elderberries (or however many you have!)

Demarara sugar

Cinnamon Sticks

Cloves

Lemon

Method:

Remove the elderberries from the stalks using a fork. Place the elderberries in a saucepan with just enough water to cover them, then bring to a simmer and allow them to cook for 20 minutes.  The berries will soften and the liquid will be dark red.

Strain out the berries with a sieve or use muslin cloth (crush with a fork or squeeze the cloth to extract as much juice as possible), keeping the juice (be careful as this stains!)

Measure the amount of juice.

Pour the juice back into the empty saucepan. For every 2 cups of juice, add 2 cups of demarara sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves and the juice from ½ a lemon.

Bring the mixture to a boil and maintain for 15 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure all the sugar dissolves.  Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Let the mixture cool while you prepare the bottles.

If you’re planning/able to store the cordial in the fridge, simply clean your storage bottles with hot, soapy water and then rinse in boiling water. Once the bottles are cool, fill with cordial, stopper and store.

Serve diluted with hot water as a warming winter drink and a boost during illness. In folklore elderberries were used as a protection against influenza, and research has now established that elderberry extract is a clinically proven treatment against flu. You could also add the same spices used in mulled wine for a more Christmassy variation.

Thankful and Hopeful at Year's End

by Christy Carlyle

While I look forward to guest posting on Romancing the Genres in the future (including a post about cover design on Saturday, December 20th), this will be my last monthly post as a Genre-ista. As I'd always hoped it would, my writing is taking up more and more of my time, and I hope to spend even more time writing in 2015.

Publishing my first novella in January 2014 was a scary, exhilarating experience, but it was just a start. I've worked this year on growing as a writer and as an author-entrepreneur. My plans for next year are ambitious, perhaps more than I'll be able to accomplish, but I believe in setting big goals. I don’t know about you, but I need challenges to keep me motivated. 

Next year I hope to publish multiple books under several pen names and in various genres. I know it will require planning, hard work, and discipline. I’m already juggling calendars, due dates, and plotting out various stories so that I can stay on track to meet my goals.

As I embark on my awfully ambitious 2015, I’m looking back with gratitude for my time at Romancing the Genres. I’ve learned and gained so much from being part of a group blog—camaraderie with fellow authors, the chance to interact with blog readers from all over the world, and endless enjoyment from the contributions of each unique and talented Genre-ista. 

Like many of you, as well as planning for next year, I’m rushing around during the busy holiday season. Do you like baking during the holiday season? I always manage a batch of cutout and frosted sugar cookies, but my favorite holiday cookies are actually Russian Tea Cakes, sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cakes. I got the recipe from my grandma’s Betty Crocker Cooky Book, which is now falling apart, but one of my prized possessions from her kitchen.

Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter or margarine, softened 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 ¼ cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I like walnuts best!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

1.    Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.    Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.

3.    Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

4.    Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.

5.    Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Mixed in with buying presents, sending cards, and juggling holiday events, I'm also putting the finishing touches on my third Whitechapel Wagers story, Reckless Wager, a sensual Victorian romance. I still hope to have it out by the end of the year!

As a gift to anyone who's interested in reading it, leave your email address in a comment on this post, and I'll send you an ecopy of Reckless Wager as soon as it's live. 

Thank you to Romancing the Genres and all its readers for the many enjoyable years as part of this wonderful blog! 

Celebrating with a Recipe for Fresh Pea Salad

by Tam Linsey

Last week, my son graduated high school. He moved from childhood to adult with the acceptance of a slip of paper. An acknowledgement that he'd accomplished a milestone. A Rite of Passage.

Rites of Passage are important because they allow us to redefine ourselves. To accept new responsibilities along with new freedoms. To go from caterpillar to butterfly in a complete change, or maybe make a quieter change in which we are the same, but with the possibility to be larger and stronger, like a crab shedding its shell.

I'm excited to see what kind of man my son becomes as he ventures into his adult life.

To celebrate this Rite of Passage, and assure he has the best chance at making it on his own, we held a celebration. Family and friends gathered to offer advice and well wishes. A few offered gifts to help him start his adult life. And we ate.

So many celebrations include food.

This month marks the one year anniversary of Romancing the Genres, so to celebrate, I thought I'd offer the gift of food - one of my favorite recipes. Many of you may have access to fresh peas this time of year, so here is my recipe for New Pea Salad. Its easy to make ahead for celebrations.

New Pea Salad

3 cups of fresh peas, blanched (or a 10 oz bag of frozen new peas)

2/3 cup sour cream

10 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled

1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted

1/2 cup chopped fresh celery

1/2 cup sliced green onions or sweet onion

salt and pepper to taste

If you are using fresh peas, blanch them in a pan of boiling water for two minutes. Drain and immediately plunge them into ice water for two minutes. Drain completely. If using frozen peas, thaw and drain before using.

To toast the almonds, place them in a heavy skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for about ten minutes or until they begin to smell good. If you chop them before toasting, be careful, because the crumbs burn long before the larger pieces toast.

Mix all the ingredients together and eat!

YA Author Shelley Coriell

Young adult author Shelley Coriell is a six-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist. She lives in Arizona with her family and the world’s neediest rescue Weimaraner. You can find her online at www.shelleycoriell.com.

Have you ever based a character on someone you know?
Chloe, the main character in my YA debut, is based on my little brother and youngest daughter. Chloe is a classic "baby" of the family. She has this big, bold personality, loves people and performing, hates conflict, and wears her heart on her sleeve. 

What genre are most of your stories?
Currently I’m writing “smart, funny” young adult fiction, which is a BIG change for me as I started out writing dark, edgy romantic thrillers with serial killers and bodies buried alive. A few years ago when the stock market crashed and people started losing jobs and houses, I needed light. I needed stories with a heaping dose of hope and love and a little laughter. Enter Chloe, my YA heroine and her closet full of great vintage shoes and big radio dreams.

What do the people in your “real life” think of your writing?

I’m blessed with a great “tribe” who gets me and realizes that when I’m staring at a blank wall for an hour, I’m actually working. My husband is my biggest cheerleader, and he’s convinced CHLOE is going to make a huge splash in the YA book world. He designed CHLOE postcards to send to bookstores and libraries. Note that he is an electrical engineer, not a designer. At a recent book festival he walked through the crowd handing out CHLOE bookmarks. And he keeps bugging me to put a car wrap of the CHLOE cover on my car. Um…no. But still…what a guy.

What was the most challenging book you’ve written?

The one I’ve been working on for two years, a YA novel about Venice and dark arts and fire and star-crossed lovers. It’s bloody brutal. But I’m still battling.

What do you do in your spare time?

Bake. I’m a former food retailing magazine editor and restaurant reviewer, and I love everything about food, especially desserts. My YA debut, WELCOME, CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE, even features a recipe for Tamales de Dulce (sweet tamales with cinnamon, walnuts and raisins). My fave dessert: Buttermilk-Crusted Blackberry Cobbler.

What books do you have coming soon?
My debut novel, WELCOME CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE, will be released May 1, 2012 by Amulet Books/Abrams.


Now, a question for you readers.  I'd love to know about your favorite sweet treat?

Thanks for visiting me here. Hugs and happy reading!

Valentine Sweets for Your Sweetheart

 I come from a long line of cookie bakers. Both my grandmothers possessed ‘secret’ recipes for sweets guaranteed to find their way to a man’s heart and to charm children into doing one’s bidding without complaint. 

My grandmothers’ grandmothers passed the recipes down to them from the last century. I’m convinced that, if I could inspect my pilgrim ancestor’s meager luggage to see what she’d brought to the New World, I’d find Ye Olde Book of Biscuit Recipes. (Outside of North America, the English word for one of these sweet treats is biscuit.)

For Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing one of these ancestral recipes with you. I got this magic formula from my mother, who got it from her mother, my Grandma McCloskey. I can testify to its soul-mate-landing potency. I’ve been married more years than some of you have been alive. (Bonus tip: My kids would do anything to earn one of these cookies!)

Grandma McCloskey’s Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour                            1 cup shortening

1 tsp. baking powder             3 eggs

¼ tsp. salt                              1 tsp. vanilla

1 ¼ cups sugar

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening with a fork. Add unbeaten eggs and flavoring. Roll out very thin on floured board and cut with floured cutter. Bake 375ºF for 8 minutes.

Those early bakers were sparse with the instructions, weren’t they? We always dust the rolled dough with cinnamon and either white sugar or colored baking sprinkles. Roll lightly afterwards with your rolling pin to set. Or you can frost them. Get creative!

Now dust off your heart-shaped cookie cutters and prepare to be adored!

© Sarah Raplee, 2012. All rights reserved